Where would you get the news were you to find yourself in 1918, in the postwar Europe?

This podcast is produced for the multinational program of European Academy Berlin Challenge 1918|2018|2118 that goes under the motto “Learn, Do and Win” with kind support of the Federal Foreign Office.

Production studio “Murrr” presents series of podcasts “The Evolution of Media: Fighting Fake News and Hate Speech” in three episodes. Team members are Elena Kobylyan (Moldova), Halyna Berezenko (Ukraine) and Nina Lyubinarskaya (Russia).

Read by Halyna Berezenko.

All rights reserved.

This podcast is produced for the multinational program of European Academy Berlin Challenge 1918|2018|2118 that goes under the motto “Learn, Do and Win” with kind support of the Federal Foreign Office. All rights reserved.

Production studio “Murrr” presents series of podcasts “The Evolution of Media: Fighting Fake News and Hate Speech” in three episodes. Team members are Elena Kobylyan, Halyna Berezenko and Nina Liybinarskaya.

Read by Halyna Berezenko.

Part One. The Evolution of Media – 1918. The War To End It All, The Change To Make The Difference

Just imagine – how you would start your usual day, were you to appear in 1918? Right on the Christmas eve. Where would you get the news? It`s postwar Europe, I remind you. 15 million people have died by now. Of course, you don`t want to think about that. You have survived it all, though your father was heavily wounded, and he doesn`t want to talk about it. Lots of buildings were destroyed, many of your friends and your family’s friends have died. But you couldn`t read a lot of it in newspapers. And your neighbors were accused of spreading rumours. They were decent people, but they were tired after all they have seen. And you were tired as well. But you`ve managed to keep your silence. There`s a hope – the authorities have established peace. And you want just to get the news with your morning coffee. With no telling you whom to love, and whom to hate. So, where would you get it?

Perhaps, you`ll go out and buy a newspaper. Or a boy would bring it to your porch. That’s so comforting, like the pre war life is returning. But it doesn’t. There are so many changes to come, though you don’t want to think about them. Your morning newspaper – what else can be more comforting and more trustworthy?

And you’ll believe each word in it. What? They say, that radio is developing, it might get into every house. Hmm, what a strange idea, to have a voice talking in your house, that is not yours and none of your family member`s! Can it be a hoax? You do remember that once the journalists told about the ducks, that can eat other ducks! Or when they have reported on the ruining of the Great Wall of China!

But later on you buy yourself a radio set – oh, getting the news becomes easier. Now you don’t have to buy a newspaper each day. But, of course, you do. Because you`re just used to it. And listening to the news will never replace reading it. That’s the point. But, there are, of course, some benefits – you can listen to music also. To some new one, that you don’t have on your vinyl records. But, there are also problems with that radio – when there’s a storm, you can’t catch a signal properly.

And sometimes it gets very weird – like that radio show, when they warned about martians – real martians conquering the Earth! – and then it was just a hoax. Well, you do know for now, that all those stories were made up. But how could it be? How could you believe it one more time? Well, it seems like it`s time to get rid of listening to the radio. But… There is the news, and music, and that new talk show, where people talk about very clever things. And radio dramas. Oh, radio dramas, you like them! How can you give it up? What? The new war is coming? But, how can it be? Really? We were living so peacefully at last… Can`t they do anything about it? No… No…

(Air raid. Bombs.)

But there goes the life. And you hide from bombshells with your radioset. And you hate the soldiers from the conquering side – because, they are not people after all they have done! And then you meet one – completely exhausted, skinny and terrified – all that he wants is some food and shelter…

And there you go again! The war has ended! You`ve heard it on the radio! And you`ve told it to your entire neighbourhood! Just because you still own your radio set, and they still read newspapers.

Later on, you suddenly become aware, that there`s something new coming. There`s a real possibility that people can watch the news, not just listen to it. Oh, that`s weird. All those pictures will distract people from listening and actually hearing the news! What are they thinking about?!

And there comes the day. So you go and buy a TV set. Just to see the Queen`s Coronation. Oh, Her Majesty is the first ever Queen to go live with her Coronation! Oh, of course, the TV set is very heavy and the screen is tiny, but there`s a moving picture in it! A real moving picture of living people! That`s just a miracle! You can see other people as if they were a part of your life! Oh, of course, there can be no hoaxes on TV – how can one fake the things you see?

But there are still so many bad people all over the world, starting new wars. And you have the only desire to fight them all, just to establish peace all over the planet. But in fact, where are they, all those people? Far, far away. No one in your neighborhood wants a new war anyway. They`ve had it all. They want to believe in better future.